Brush Up Your Shakespeare
by Harkly
Summary: Yolei drags her friends into a local play of Romeo and Juliet. All of them, somehow, manage to get involved. Of course you can't go through being in a play without learning something! Especially a play by the Bard! Kenyako
1. Where we lay our Scene...

Hey, Yolei here

This is a prologue-type-thing. It is, probably, the only part that will be written in first person, with the possible exception of a possible epilogue. (Wow, I'm vague) The first chapter should be out in a few. Meanwhile, well, sit back and enjoy! My first digi fic J 

I own it! Wait… no I don't… that was only a dream ::Sighs tragically::

Hey, Yolei here.

And this is my story.

Okay, technically that's not true. This story isn't just about me, it's about all the second digidestined, because, somehow, each of them got caught up in this crazy scheme.

But it's my story, because, after all, I was the one who started the whole thing.

But before you find out what happened, there are a few things you'll have to know first.

Firstly, as you probably know, things in the real world are a little different now. Everyone has digimon partners. The kids probably like it the most. After all, it's real life fantasy, a non-human friend whose there for you all of the time.

Some adults took it pretty badly, though. I mean, some of them see digimon as pets, or worse, as nuisances. And that causes problems.

Secondly, I'm 15 now. And I'm beginning to think about things that never really crossed my mind before. Having babies, for one. You know, having a family someday. But not just that, what I also think about is, um, the making of babies. You know, the _process_.

Everybody knows that boys think about that all the time when they hit puberty. However, the media conveniently forgot to tell us girls that we'd have it on our minds a bit too. There's also all this emphasis on the physical, and the emotional is kind of pushed out the window. In high school, anyway.

Maybe that's why I jumped at the chance to be involved in a play at our local community center. They we're putting on Romeo and Juliet. After all, it's supposed to be a story about some sort of higher love, a holy bond of romance that nobody could break.

Or so I was told, I hadn't read the play at that time.

So I talked to the Director, Mrs. Aihara. And, after some excellent arguing on my part, she let me be the stage manager.

What, you thought I was going to act in it? No thank you! Remember, at that time I had no idea what Shakespeare was trying to say with all those pretty words. It just had a rather nice soothing sound.

I didn't want to be alone! This was my quest, my Holy Grail. Naturally I was going to drag the digidestined in, even if they were kicking and screaming.

As it turned out, I think we all learned a lot about life and growing up. Kari. TK. Davis. Cody. Ken. Me. Especially Ken and me. Oddly, though, the play itself didn't have much to do with anything we learned.

What did have to do with it? Oh, I don't know. A faulty lighting set. A girl named Mako who needed friendship almost as badly as she needed help. An overdue copy of a never read library book.

Just to name a few.

But I'm not here to tell you everything. Go read it for yourself. We're all in it, and I bet we all have something to say.

Just remember, it's my story


	2. Refusals

When Yolei got back from talking to the play's director, Mrs

When Yolei got back from talking to the play's director, Mrs. Aihara, she walked briskly to the nearby park. After all, she had an appointment! She had left Poromon at home, and now she wished she'd brought him with her. She felt like talking someone.

Oh well, power walks were supposed to be healthy, right?

"Hey Yolei! We're over here! Cody cried out to the girl, waving from the picnic table.

The Second Digidestined had taken to having get-togethers as often as they were able. Picnics were a favorite of all. After all, it included food.

Yolei griped a poster that was advertising try-outs for the play. This would be great! Now she could just tell them about the play at the same time, instead of taking care of everyone separately.

"What took you so long?" TK asked, as Yolei approached.

The older girl slapped the poster on the picnic table triumphantly, "Look!"

"Yolei! Could you get that out of here?" Davis moved his juice out from under the poster "I'm trying to eat!"

Yolei rolled her eyes. Talk about missing the point! "Davis, shut up about your lunch! Aren't you curious about what this is?" Yolei sat down next to Kari and sorted through her backpack for her own meal.

"Not really." Davis muttered, but glanced at it anyway, "Shakespeare? Romeo and Juliet?"

"What's that for, Yolei?" Cody asked.

Finally, Yolei thought gratefully, "The community center's putting it on! Try-outs are on Thursday and-"

Davis choked on his recaptured juice box as he interrupted, "You're trying out? For what, Juliet?"

Yolei glared, "_No_ Davis, I'm the stage manager."

Kari gave a low whistle, "Tough job."

The other girl sighed blissfully, "Oh, but it'll be fun." Now, back to the important part! "Anyway-"

"What's Romeo and Juliet?" piped Patamon, curiously.

Yolei, frustrated, was about to give a halfhearted answer when a voice, until then silent, spoke up, answering.

"It's the greatest romance in literature. Written by Shakespeare, who is also known as the Bard of Stratford-upon-Avon, considered by many to be the master of the iambic pentameter."

The Digidestined and their partners stared at Ken.

"What?" Ken asked, when he noticed the silence, "I _am _suppose to be a boy genius, right?"

Silence.

Ken blushed, "Look, my parents met at that play, okay?"

"How romantic!" Kari exclaimed, and Yolei squealed, agreeing.

"Oh brother." TK grumbled good-naturedly.

Yolei tried to get the conversation back to try-outs, "You guys should get there at about five o'clock, okay?" She said, talking through a California roll.

"Get where?" Davis asked. Then realization dawned on his face, "On no! Not me! I'm not a Shakespeare person!"

"How would you know? Have you actually read anything by him?" Yolei swallowed her food and gave Davis the evil eye.

Davis, of course, wasn't fazed a bit, "Have you?" he retorted.

"Um…" Yolei suddenly appeared fascinated in the broad end of her chopstick.

Kari stared at Yolei, "You haven't read Romeo and Juliet yet? Yolei, you're the _stage manager_!

Yolei shifted in her seat. This wasn't going as she had hoped it would, "I will! Look, I _just_ came from talking to the director. I haven't had time." This would be a good time to get back to the topic at hand, "Do any of you need rides to the try-outs?"

"No, because I'm NOT going!" Davis stuffed his unfinished lunch into his backpack, "I've gotta go."

Seeing the chance for an escape, TK stood up, "Um, you know what? I'll walk with you."

"TK, I don't need anyone to-"

"Oh sure you do!" TK cried, grabbing Davis and dragging him in a mad attempt to get away from Yolei, "I have to pick something up for my mom, and it's near your house! Let's go!"

Cody looked from TK and Davis to Yolei. His eyes eventually fell on the poster.

"I'll walk home with you, TK!" The younger boy ran after the two others.

"Remember, Thursday at five!" Yolei shouted after them, but knew it was no use.

Ken shouldered his backpack with one hand and picked up Wormmon with the other, "I guess I'd better be going too."

"No, Ken!" Yolei cried desperately, "Please try-out? C'm on, you already know the play really well, right?"

Ken shrugged, "I'll think about, okay Yolei?" he said, noncommercial.

Yolei sighed drearily, "Okay…" She traced a circle in the wooden picnic table and looked away.

Ken gave a small smile, "I'll think about it _hard_, alright?" He walked off, talking softly with his digimon.

"I really wanted everyone to get involved with this!" Yolei admitted to Kari, "It's kind of important to me."

"Why?" Kari asked, "After all Yolei, you know we'll all support you, even if it's from the audience."

"I don't know why." Yolei murmured, "I just…"

She looked up suddenly, "I left Poromon alone!"

"He can take care of himself." Gatomon reassured her.

"No, I left him alone with a house full of sugary snacks!" She cried, grabbing her belongings and stuffing them into her backpack.

"Kari, _you'll_ come to try-outs, right?" Yolei cried over her shoulder as she ran.

"I don't know about acting in it. How about something on the crew?" Kari called after her.

"Yeah! That'd be great! I'll get back to you!" Yolei shouted as she continued to sprint home.

Kari watched her leave, "Why do I have the feeling," She commented to Gatomon, "that this is going to be a long couple of weeks?"

* * * *

First of all, I'd like to heartily thank all those who reviewed! Could you guys be ANY cooler? I'm not sure it's possible!

Secondly-

Yay! First chapter done!

Now I know you're all saying, "Why isn't everybody else in the play? Right now only Yolei and Kari are!"

Remember, everyone will be involved in the play _eventually_. Yolei said so. ::nods sagely:: How will that happen? I don't know! Um… I mean, you'll have to find out! Yes, that's it! ::cue manic laughter::

Well, the next Chapter will be called "Weakenings", which should give you a clue…

And that's all I'm saying!


End file.
